Thursday links — Live chat at 1 p.m.

First off, a reminder that we’ll hold our weekly live chat today at 1 p.m. Now for a few links. …

— For my story for today’s paper, I wrote about walk-on safety K.C. Herren. a 26-year-old former minor league baseball player attempting to make a go of it now in football. His story obviously sounds an awful lot like that of Tripper Johnson — and Herren relates in the story that he talked with Johnson about his experience before deciding to go forward with football.

— Athlon’s rates the Pac-12’s running backs and has Jesse Callier 10th — and reading the list, it strikes me again there will be an awful lot of good running backs in the conference this season.

— The Detroit Free Press says the Lions may be interested in Chris Polk.

— Bruce Feldman of CBSSports.com examines how Stanford will try to replace Luck.

— This story on OSU tight end Caleb Smith of Kentridge includes the interesting thought from Beaver coach Mike Riley that he’d like to see the NCAA outlaw the ability of players to graduate early from high school and then participate in a spring practice.

— Shaq Thompson is mentioned in this story on a Grant High baseball game (though my main reaction from reading that story is ‘152 pitches for a high school sophomore?’)

— Wisconsin basketball coach Bo Ryan’s in the middle of a media firestorm for blocking a player’s attempt to transfer to various schools. Kind of with the consensus on this one — if coaches can move freely, players should be able to, as well.